In the context of the invention, a machine tool is also understood to mean a laser machine tool in which a laser beam emerges from a laser machining head that is fastened to a movable slide and forms the laser tool.
Slides of a machine tool are frequently guided along a guide rail by way of ball screw units or recirculating roller units. The guide systems that are generally used consist of the guide rail and one or more guide carriages. Larger tool slides are generally guided on two guide rails, wherein two or more guide carriages are arranged on each guide rail. The guide carriages are sealed off with respect to the guide rail by radial and longitudinal wipers that are intended to prevent dirt from penetrating into the guide carriage. Dirt that drops onto the guide rail outside the slides is entrained by the external radial wipers of the guide carriages and deposited at the rail end. This dirt that is deposited at the rail end is no longer traveled over by the guide carriage and thus cannot pass into a guide carriage. Dirt that passes between two guide carriages cannot be transported to the rail end, but is entrained by the radial wiper of one guide carriage and deposited on the guide rail during the movement of the slide in one direction. When the slide moves in the opposite direction, the dirt is entrained by the radial wiper of the other guide carriage. In this way, the dirt is pushed back and forth between the guide carriages. As a result of the dirt being pushed aside, the radial wipers are subjected to high loading and become worn quickly, such that the dirt gets past the radial wipers and into the interior of the guide carriages and the guide carriages as a whole can fail. It can be very complicated to replace the guide carriages.
To prevent dirt from passing between the two guide carriages and onto the guide rail, covering hoods, which are fitted on the two guide carriages and cover the that rail section of the guide rail that is located in between, are known (for example JP2006317006). The covering hoods are usually made of steel and have internal rubber lips as longitudinal and radial wipers. However, during the relatively complicated fitting and removal of the covering hood, the covering hood or the connection structure can be damaged.